Several years ago, my niece was spending the summer with us and it was her birthday. The problem was that Mike was in seminary and we had NO money, not even money for extra food. We were living on hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and eggs for dinner. I really wanted her birthday to be special, but so far--nothing. I woke her up that morning and told her that I wanted to bless her for her birthday but had no money to buy anything for her, even food for a special dinner.       

"But God has lots of money," I told her "And He can give us a special birthday dinner."  Katie Beth nodded her head--even at the age of two she trusted the Lord. The three of us prayed together.          

Later that day, we went to a food pantry (a ministry similar to Harvest International) where we paid two dollars for two bags of food. That was the only day ever (it never happened before or afterward) that they had cake mixes there. I chose a cake mix (her favorite flavor) from the "pick one" table and then a frosting can from another "pick two tables". God was soooooooooooo good!!!!!!!

The stores are filled with hearts, chocolate, and roses in every shade of pink and red imaginable. As a lover of pink, chocolate and roses, this just may be my favorite time of year to shop!  It's St. Valentines Day! Yes, St. Valentine's Day--I know that sounds a little odd to your ears. When I was a little girl, that's what we called it. But in recent years, as all holidays are secularized and materialized more and more, St. Valentine's Day became Valentine's Day. 

Who was St. Valentine and why do we celebrate love on the day we've set aside to remember him?  Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome during the reign of Emporer Claudius. He was know for his kindness and selfless love. He was arrested for his faith and imprisoned, but managed to send and receive letters from his friends and fellow Christians. Emporer Claudius tried to convert him to Roman paganism to spare his life, but Valentine shared the Gospel with the emporer instead. Before he was martyred for his faith in Jesus, he healed the eyes of his jailor's blind daughter.  

In the Late Middle Ages, when courtly love and romance became the rage throughout Europe, St. Valentine's Day became associated with love and romance. Both romantic love and Christian martyrdom are things to celebrate.  St. Valentine stands in the "great cloud of witnesses," in Hebrews 12, cheering us on! St. Valentine's Day can be celebrated in either direction, or both directions. We can celebrate the romantic love we share with our sweethearts or we can remember those who have given their lives for the Gospel of Christ.

If we are celebrating St. Valentine's Day with our sweetie, there are many options.  He, of course, can buy us a dozen long-stemmed roses and a big box of Godiva chocolate.  We can go out to a lovely dinner and gaze into each other's eyes.  But, of course, those things cost money.  So, what are some inexpensive ways to celebrate the romance you share with your husband?  Here are some things Mike and I have done:

• Pack china, crystal goblets, a tasty lunch, and sparkling grape juice. Go on a picnic in a pretty spot.  Bring a beautiful comforter to sit on and be careful with the china and crystal!
• Buy a package of Valentines for children.  Write little notes to your husband on each one and hide them throughout the house.  Make most easy to find, but hide some so that they won't be found until later
• Make a CD of romantic songs and dance outside on the patio in the moonlight
• Make a scrapbook of your relationship from its conception until now. Look at it together. 

• Tell your children how you met, how your husband proposed, and other fun stories. Your children will love this!
• Wait until the children are in bed and have a romantic dinner by candlelight ALONE!
• Read old love letters out loud to each other!

"Can I start decorating my house for Christmas yet?" Brock asked.

'No, it's only July," Jenny Rose admonished him.

He continued to ask month after month, so I wasn't surprised when he invited us over last week for hot chocolate, Christmas treats, a Christmas movie, and ornament making.

We made these lovely stars out of construction paper, card stock, or scrapbooking paper.

I made the mistake of thinking that the stars were made out of one piece of paper so I brought 12" x 12" scrapbooking paper in different colors. Turns out that you use 6 pieces of paper, so I ended up with a HUGE star of mismatched colors. I will have to make more--more smaller stars.

But, I have to tell you, making the large ornament got me in the mood for Christmas. I don't know if it was the movie or the fellowship or the craft. But, it was such a lovely, relaxing evening.

One of my favorite stories about Jesus takes places after He is baptized by John the Baptist.

Two of John's disciples show interest in Jesus and ask Him where He is staying. Jesus invites them to come and see.

​The three men spend the day together and when the day is over, Andrew says to his brother, Peter, "I have found the Messiah. You have to come and meet Him." Well, Andrew says something like that.

Jesus' heart was: Welcome to my world! He opened His heart to those who wanted to know Him.

​I want to imitate that day in this blog. I want to invite you to come home with me and see where I live. Meet my family, meet my friends, meet my precious Savior, Jesus.

So, welcome to my world! Sometimes, my world is a gentle, peaceful place of pink roses, white picket fences, and cheerful smiles. Sometimes, it is a rough-and-tumble place of conflict, mess, and confusion. Most of the time, it is both. My life is filled with sticky kisses, mistakes, successes, good books, walks around the block with people I love, and new lessons learned all the time.

Here is my new blog and website. Make yourself at home here. Take a look around and get to know me. I hope to get to know you too. Hope that this is the start, or rekindling, of a beautiful friendship.

Recepcion a mi mundo!
With love & affection,
Merey
(Meredith Ludwig Curtis).